500TH GAME AT JOYCE CENTER: Notre Dame played its 500th game at the Joyce Center on Nov. 18 against Sacred Heart. The Irish are 392-116 all-time at the Joyce Center for a .772 winning percentage since it began play in the inaugural 1968-69 season. The Irish were 16-4 (.800) at home in 1999-2000, marking the third time in school history they had 16 victories (the most at the Joyce Center). Notre Dame also recorded 16 wins at the Joyce during the 1976-77 and 1982-83 campaigns.

GRAVES JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB: Junior David Graves joined Notre Dame's 1,000-point club and became the 41st player in Irish basketball history to reach that mark. Graves tallied his 1,000th point in the win over Vermont on Dec. 21. He notched his 1,000th point in the second half on a free throw with 16:58 remaining in the contest. He has 1,046 points in 79 career games for a 13.2 career scoring average heading into tonight's game and currently ranks 38th on the all-time Notre Dame scoring list.

A 1,000-POINT CLASS ACT: With David Graves reaching the 1,000-point mark, he joined Troy Murphy (1,645 career points) as the second member of Notre Dame's class of 2002 to reach that plateau. It marks the first time that a class has produced at least two 1,000-point scorers since the trio of LaPhonso Ellis. Elmer Bennett and Daimon Sweet. The three combined for 4,403 points from 1988-92 with Ellis scoring 1,505 points, Bennett 1488 points and Sweet 1,410 points. Graves and Murphy have combined for 2,691 points in two-plus seasons.

LEADER OF THE PACK: The consistency of Troy Murphy as both a scorer and rebounder is remarkable when considering these numbers. Of the 76 career games he has played (he missed three games his freshman year because of a sprained ankle), Murphy has led or tied for team-high scoring and rebounding honors on 61 and 52 occasions, respectively. Below is the breakdown year-to-year of how he has led the Irish in both categories during his career.

Some other noteworthy statistics include: 75 of 76 games in double figure scoring, 37 career double-doubles, 14 career games with 30-plus points and 44 contests with 20-plus points.

MURPHY GETS 100TH BLOCK: Troy Murphy blocked his 100th career shot against Long Island on Fri., Dec. 29 and currently second on the Notre Dame all-time career shot-blocking list with 105. LaPhonso Ellis (1988-92) is the Irish all-time leader in this category with 200.

INGLESBY MOVES TO SIXTH ON CAREER ASSIST LIST WITH 400TH ASSIST: Senior Martin Ingelsby dished off his 400th career assist against Vermont on Dec. 21. He currently has 427 career assists, good for fifth on the all-time career assist list. Ingelsby passed Irish great John Paxson (1979-83) who finished his career with 411 assists. Heading into tonight's game, he needs 40 to move ahead of Rich Branning and into four on the career assist list. Branning, who played for the Irish from 1976-80 finished with 466 assists. Ingelsby owns a 4.07 assist average in 105 career games.

FOLLOWING TROY ON THE WEB: Follow All-American Troy Murphy on the world wide web at www.und.com/troymurphy. The site includes biographical information, statistics, pictures, a weekly diary, a listing of awards and honors and links to articles on the web which have been written on this Irish junior. For more information on the site, contact the Notre Dame Sports Information Office at (219) 631-7516.

MURPHY GOES HAWAIIAN: Troy Murphy's travels took him twice to Hawaii within a two-week span in August and early September. The Irish junior participated in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp just before returning to campus for the start of the school year and met up with former Notre Dame standout and 1997 BIG EAST Player of the Year Pat Garrity. Murphy made a second trip across the mainland when he played for the USA MenÕs Select Team on Sept. 2 in Honolulu against the USA Basketball MenÕs Senior National Team. The game was televised by NBC and Murphy finished with four points and three rebounds.

DOUBLE-TAKE FOR HUMPHREY: Just 12 games into his Notre Dame career, Ryan Humphrey has already posted five double-doubles in an Irish uniform. His most recent came against Syracuse on Jan. 2 as he scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He has registered double-doubles in four of the last six games and in back-to-back contests against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 12 rebounds) on Dec. 17 and Canisius (20 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 21. Humphrey, who has 15 career double-doubles (10 in two seasons at Oklahoma), registered his first double-double at Notre Dame in the win over Cincinnati on Nov. 25 as he scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also has had 10 or more rebounds in 21 games during his career and scored 10-plus points on 48 occasions. Humphrey also has scored 20-plus points in seven games throughout his career.

GRAVES PRODUCES BACK-TO-BACK-TO BACK 20-POINT OUTINGS: David Graves has had the hot hand for Notre Dame of late as the Irish junior has scored 20-plus points in three of the last six games. He had three consecutive outings (a first in his career) in which he scored 20-plus points against Tennessee Tech (20 points), Canisius (season-high 23 points) and Vermont (21 points). Graves averaged 21.3 points in those victories. He has scored 20-plus points eight times during his career, which includes a 33-point effort against Vanderbilt during the 1999-2000 campaign.

MURPHY WITH FIFTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Troy Murphy registered his fifth double-double of the season, and 37th of his career (in 76 career games), against Long Island on Dec. 29. It was his third double-double in as many games as he scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He registered his fourth double-double against Vermont with 21 points and 13 rebounds, which came just two days after he scored 29 points and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds in the win over Canisius. His 10 rebounds against Long Island marked the 38th time he has grabbed 10-plus rebounds in a game.

CARROLL LIGHTS IT UP FROM THREE: Sophomore Matt Carroll's 59.2 three-point field goal percentage leads the Irish. Carroll, who has made 29 of his 49 three-point field goal attempts, was four-of-five from three-point range in Notre Dame's victory against Tennessee Tech in scoring 16 points on Dec. 17 and four-of-six against last Tuesday night.

DOMINANCE ON THE GLASS: Notre Dame has grabbed 45-plus rebounds in four of the last six outings and has outrebounded its opponents 273-217. Even more remarkable is that in the last 220 minutes the Irish have played, Notre Dame has outrebounded its opponents 248-187.

GETTING TO THE BOARDS: Heading into Notre Dame's game with Canisius on Dec. 19, the Irish were being outrebounded 40.3 to 39.6 by its opponents and had been outrebounded in four of its first seven games. Against the Golden Griffins, Brey's squad had their most dominating performance on the boards this season with a 54-32 (+22) advantage. Notre Dame has reversed that trend of late and has outrebounded its opponents in five of the last six games. The Irish prior to Saturday night's Rutgers game had outrebounded their opponents in each of the last five games, but they had that string snapped as the Scarlet Knights held a 33-25 advantage on the boards. Overall, the Irish have grabbed more rebounds than their opponents in seven of 12 games. Notre Dame has been on the plus side of the rebounding column in contests against Sacred Heart (+15), Cincinnati (+13), Tennessee Tech (+12), Canisius (+22), Vermont (+7), Long Island (+19) and Syracuse (+4). Prior to the Tennessee Tech game, the Irish had been outrebounded in its previous three outings, including a differential of 18 against Miami of Ohio (44-26). In the first half of the Tennessee Tech contest, Notre Dame was being outrebounded 30-24 by the Golden Eagles, but in the second half, the Irish took control of the boards and had their most dominating half of the season as they outrebounded Tennessee Tech 31-13.

FREE THROW WOES: Hopefully, Notre Dame may have solved their free throw problems as the Irish had their best night from the line this season hitting 17-of-20 attempts for an 85.0 percent accuracy. In the previous outing against Syracuse, the Irish were just 8-21 from the charity stripe (38.1 percent). Brey's squad converted just 1-for-10 from the field in the first half (after making their first free throw attempt, the Irish missed their next 10). The Irish have shot below 65.0 percent in five of the last seven games. Heading into the Tennessee Tech game on Dec. 17, Notre Dame had converted 75.3 percent of its free-throw chances, but in the last six games (76-140 for 54.3 percent) has dropped the percentage to 65.0.

IRISH HAVE PRODUCTIVE SECOND HALF AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH: Notre Dame had one of its most productive second halves of the season in the 82-68 win over Tennessee Tech. The Irish shot 61.3 percent (19-31) from the field, 50.0 percent (7-14) from three-point range and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 31-13. In the first half against Tennessee Tech, theY shot 37.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.

STREAKING ALONG: Troy Murphy's career-high 37 points against Rutgers extended Murphy's streak of double figure scoring games to 63. The junior forward has netted double figures in 75 of 76 contests throughout his career. The only time he failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1995 when he scored just five points. In that game all of his points game from the free-throw line (5-6) as he was 0-11 from the field.

THIRTY SOMETHING: Troy Murphy has scored 30-plus points in three of Notre Dame's 12 games this season. In addition to the Rutgers game, he netted 31 in the season opener against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18 and 30 vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 25. He scored 30 or more points in nine games last season and has 14 career 30-plus outings. He also has scored 20-plus points 44 times in 76 career games.

IRISH THREE-POINTERS EXTEND TO 62 STRAIGHT GAMES: Notre Dame has had at least one three-pointer in 62 consecutive games, a mark that dates back to the 1998-99 campaign. The last time the Irish failed to connect on at least one three-pointer in a game was against Connecticut in a 101-70 loss in Hartford, Conn., on January 12, 1999. Notre Dame set the school single-game three-point mark when it nailed 16 three-pointers against Loyola.

ANSWERING THE CALL: In a recent addition of ESPN Magazine, ESPN analyst and former Duke basketball standout Jay Bilas highlights five point guards nationally who have played vital roles for their teams this season. Among the five mentioned is Irish senior Martin Inglesby, currently leading the BIG EAST with a 6.09 assist-to-turnover ratio. Here's what Bilas had to say about Ingelsby's play thus far in 2000-01:

"Last season, Matt Doherty benched Ingelsby in favor of Jimmy Dillon. Now Dillon and Doherty are gone and Mike Brey has put the ball back into Ingelsby's hands. So what if he didn't have much choice? Point is, the 6-0 senior has responded. In the second half of Notre Dame's win over Cincinnati on Nov. 25, Ingelsby showed some onions by taking Kenny Satterfield off the dribble to ignite an Irish run. Through six games, he was averaging 7.2 points, hitting 48% on threes and had 41 assists vs. seven turnovers Ñ the kind of stats that soothe any coach."

MY FAVORITE MARTIN: Senior Martin Ingelsby returned to his role as a starter this season after serving as Notre Dame's starting point guard for both the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns. A starter in his first two seasons, Ingelsby lost his starting job in the seventh game of the season a year ago and averaged just 14.8 minutes and 4.8 points per game in 1999-2000. Through the first 12 games this season, he leads the team in minutes played (36.0) and is averaging 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists. In Ingelsby's first game back as a starter against Sacred Heart, he responded to his return with 15 points, nailing a career-high five three-pointers in the contest. He hit on all five of his three-point attempts from beyond the arc in the first half and finished with six assists and just one turnover in the contest. Against Loyola (Chicago) in the second game of the season, he had scored nine points (all from three-point range), dished off 11 assists and committed just one turnover.

DISHING IT OUT: Martin Ingelsby leads the Irish with 94 assists. Most impressive is the fact that he has committed just 17 turnovers in 12 games. In all but four games (Miami-Ohio, Canisius, Long Island and Syracuse), Ingelsby has had just one turnover. He had a career-high 13 assists against Rutgers, while commiting just one turnover. It marked the fourth time this season he had dished off 10-assists in a game. He dished off 11 assists in both the Loyola (Chicago) and Canisius contests, while also dishing off 10 assists in the win over Long Island. Ingelsby has had five games with 10-plus assists. His 13 assists in the Rutgers game was the eighth time in his career in which he had dished off 10-plus assists. For the season, Ingelsby is averaging 7.7 assists per game. He has played a total of 432 of a possible 480 minutes and is averaging a turnover every 25.2 minutes and just 1.42 turnovers per game. Ingelsby's assist-to-turnover ratio is 5.53 leads the BIG EAST Conference.

CONSISTENT CARROLL: No Irish player has been as consistent throughout the preseason and in the first 12 games as sophomore Matt Carroll. He registered double figures for the 27th time in his career (and ninth time this season) against Syracuse as he scored 14 points. He is shooting 56.1 (55-98) percent from the field, 59.2 (29-49) from three-point range and 81.3 (13-16) from the charity stripe. Even more impressive is that he is second in the assist column with 55 (4.6 per game).

UNSELFISH IRISH: The most telling statistic in Notre Dame's 12 games Ñ the 268 assists (22.3 per game). Notre Dame has made a total of 371 field goals which translates into an assist for every 1.38 baskets. As a team, the Irish have committed just 172 turnovers, resulting in a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio and a turnover every 2.79 minutes. Last season, Notre Dame had more turnovers (656) than assists (643).

IRISH BACKCOURT STEADY AS THEY GO : Notre Dame's backcourt duo of Martin Ingelsby and Matt Carroll has posted impressive numbers this season with their consistency. When combining the statistics of the two players, the tandem is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 50.5 percent from three-point range, while averaging 9.8 points per game. They also have 149 of Notre Dame's 268 assists and have committed just 45 turnovers overall for a 3.31 assist-to-turnover ratio.

IRISH SHOW TRIPLE THREAT AGAIN: Notre Dame's three-point shooting appears to be alive and healthy again this season as the Irish have canned an average of 8.50 three-pointers (102-240) in 12 games. David Graves leads the way with 30, while Matt Carroll has made 29 and Martin Ingelsby 18. In the season opener against Sacred Heart, the Irish began the game by hitting eight of their first nine three-pointers. They also had a school-record 16 against Loyola on Nov. 22. Last season, the Irish averaged 7.8 three-pointers per game en route to establishing the single-season mark with 287. This year, Notre Dame is averaging 8.5 three-point field goals per game.

MURPHY MOVES INTO TOP 10 ON IRISH SCORING CHARTS: Troy Murphy became the 40th player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points on Jan. 29, 2000 when the Irish defeated St. JohnÕs. He started the season 16th on the all-time scoring list, but the 287 points he has scored in in his first 12 games have elevated him to eighth on the scoring list with 1,645 career points. Against Long Island, Murphy passed Bob Whitmore (1966-69) who scored 1,580 points during his career. He now needs 21 points to move into seventh on the all-time scoring list occupied by Bob Arnzen (1966-69) who finished his career with 1,665 points.

Murphy became the second-youngest player in Irish history to score 1,000 points at 19 years and 272 days old. Former Irish All-American Adrian Dantley (1973-76) was 18 years and 355 days old when he scored his 1,000th point. Murphy also joined Dantley as the only Irish players to reach the 1,000-point mark in their sophomore seasons. He scored his 1,000th point in his 48th career game Ñ the fifth-fastest among Notre DameÕs 39 previous 1,000-point scorers. All-time leading scorer Austin Carr (1968-71) needed just 35 games, while Dantley needed 44. It took John Shumate (1972-74) and Bob Arnzen (1966-69) 46 games to score 1,000 points.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR MURPHY: Among active Division I players through games of Jan. 3 according to STATS Inc., Troy Murphy is second with 37 career double-doubles. He has scored in double figures in 75 of 76 career games he has played and has registered double figures in 63 straight contests heading into this evening's matchup with Vermont. The only time Murphy has failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1998. Kennedy Okafor of Maryland-Baltimore Country leads all active Division I players with 37 career double-doubles.

LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION: Notre Dame will make nine national television appearances during the 2000-01 season as the Irish will be featured three times on CBS and six times on ESPN. It is the most regular-season telecasts since the 1988-89 campaign when that Notre Dame squad also had nine of its games nationally televised. The national lineup is as follows: Indiana (Tues., Dec. 5 on ESPN), at Syracuse (Tues., Jan. 2 on ESPN), at Seton Hall (Mon., Jan. 8 on ESPN), at Kentucky (Sat., Jan. 13 on CBS), St. John's (Mon., Feb. 5 on ESPN), at Rutgers (Wed., Feb. 14 on ESPN), Seton Hall (Sun., Feb. 18 on CBS), at Connecticut (Mon., Feb. 26 on ESPN) and Georgetown (Sun., Mar. 4 on CBS).

BASKETBALL LUNCHEONS SET: The second of three basketball luncheons will take place take place on Mon., Jan. 22, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Syracuse) with the third and final one being held on Tues., Feb. 20, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Boston College game).

The luncheons, which begin at noon, will feature Brey, members of his squad, video presentations and other special guests.

Tickets are $16 each. Tickets are available by mail by writing Athletics Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Checks should be made payable to University of Notre Dame. No telephone reservations will be accepted. For more information, call 219-631-7246.

TICKET DEMAND: Season-tickets for the 2000-01 Notre Dame men's basketball season were sold-out prior to the start of the season. All 3,200 student season-tickets allotted for the upcoming campaign also have been sold, a figure that has doubled from the 1,600 sold for the 1999-2000 season.